This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from my application entitled METHOD FOR CONTROL OF HEALTH IMPROVE MACHINE USING INTERNET AND SYSTEM USING THE SAME filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on May 2, 2000 and there duly assigned Serial No. 2000-23432.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a concentric control system for exercise apparatuses and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a concentric control system and method for exercise apparatuses that is capable of inputting data relevant to user""s exercise and based upon the exercise quantity taken by the user, controlling the exercise apparatuses.
2. Background of the Related Art
As the people die at an old age, recently, they become very interested in taking care of their health, regardless of sex or age. Generally, many people see their doctors in order to detect the diseases they may be taken early enough or to protect them at previous stages. In addition, they try to be in good health conditions at non-medical centers such as sports clubs. Such an approach often occurs at home or at health clubs. On the other hand, various kinds of exercise apparatuses such as, for example, running machines, steppers, indoor bicycles and so on are widely used for the purpose of supporting the user""s health management.
To operate such the exercise apparatuses, however, first the data relevant to user""s exercise is inputted and the exercise pattern to be desired by the user is then inputted. That is, the user who desires to use a predetermined exercise apparatus should input his or her weight and height and then input his or her desired exercise time and strength. Once he and she inputs the data relevant to his or her exercise to the corresponding exercise apparatus, the exercise apparatus operates based upon the data characteristics inputted, irrespective of his or her exercise capability and condition. Therefore, the user fails to have a substantially exercise effect.
Moreover, if the user inputs the data relevant to his or her exercise directly to the exercise apparatus, he or she should input the data every time the exercise apparatus to be used. This causes a considerable inconvenience in inputting the data, thereby making the use chances of the exercise apparatuses really lost. In addition, in case where the user takes exercise at several places, it is impossible to manage his or her exercise with any system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved computerized exercise system.
It is also an object of the present invention to formulate custom made exercises based on user""s age, weight, sex, exercise history, blood pressure, height, and other medical conditions that the user may have.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a computerized exercise system controlled through the internet allowing the user to exercise at any location and still receive the benefits of custom made exercises where the difficulty, intensity, length of time are controlled based on a stored exercise history of a user.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a computer controlled exercise system that continually monitors the user""s heart rate and compares the user""s heart rate during the duration of an exercise (in-situ) with a target heart rate and adjusts in situ the difficulty and intensity of the exercise as a user""s heart rate deviates from the target heart rate at any point in time during the exercise.
It is yet further an object of the present invention to provide custom made exercises for a plurality of exercise equipment for a user based on the user""s goals and objectives (i.e., whether the user is a beginner exerciser, whether the user exercises just to reduce weight, whether the user wants to improve physical strength, or whether the user is training for a competition).
It is still also an object of the present invention to provide custom programs for a particular piece of exercise equipment for a user based on results and history of exercise on other exercise equipment.
It is still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a concentric control system for exercise apparatuses and a method thereof that if a user inputs data relevant to exercise to a predetermined exercise apparatus, operates based upon the characteristics of the data inputted, monitors his or her exercise quantity and if it is determined that his or her exercise quantity is somewhat small, controls in real time the predetermined exercise apparatus such that the exercise apparatus operates in such a manner to increase the user""s exercise quantity, but if it is determined that the exercise quantity is somewhat large, controls in real time the predetermined exercise apparatus such that the exercise apparatus operates in such a manner to decrease the user""s exercise quantity.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a concentric control system for exercise apparatuses and a method thereof that when there are arranged the exercise apparatuses at a predetermined place, controls all of the exercise apparatuses by the input at a time of the data relevant to user""s exercise thereto.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a concentric control system for exercise apparatuses and a method thereof that inputs the data relevant to the exercise of a user for the exercise apparatuses to a central management server through a leased line, a public line network, an Internet network and so on and controls the exercise apparatuses of the user, based upon the exercise quantity of the user.
Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a concentric control system for a plurality of exercise apparatuses that concentrically manages and controls the plurality of exercise apparatuses each having an electronic controller therein, includes: an exercise program storing unit in which an exercise program is stored in order to designate an adequate quantity of exercise at a time when a user uses a predetermined exercise apparatus; a comparing unit for receiving the exercise quantity of the user measured from the predetermined exercise apparatus during the exercise and comparing the received data with data on the exercise quantity of the user designated by the exercise program; and a central processing unit for outputting, if the exercise quantity of the user measured during the exercise is substantially smaller than that designated by the exercise program, a control signal such that the electronic controller of the predetermined exercise apparatus operates in order to increase the user""s exercise quantity and for outputting, if the exercise quantity of the user measured during the exercise is substantially larger than that designated by the exercise program, another control signal such that the electronic controller of the predetermined exercise apparatus operates in order to decrease the user""s exercise quantity. Desirably, the exercise quantity of the user for the predetermined exercise apparatus is measured in proportional relation with the heart rate of the user.
It is desirable that the central processing unit outputs video data, such that the exercise quantity designated by the exercise program and the exercise quantity of the user measured during the exercise simultaneously display on the predetermined exercise apparatus. Furthermore, the concentric control device further includes an exercise program processor which receives data relevant to exercise inputted by the user and based upon the input data, produces the exercise program adequate to the user. Desirably, the concentric control device according to the present invention is connected with the plurality of exercise apparatuses through a mutual communication network. Preferably, the communication network is Internet or LAN.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a concentric control method in which a concentric control system is connected with at least one or more exercise apparatuses each having an electronic controller therein through a mutual communication network for the purpose of controlling at least one or more exercise apparatuses, the control method including the steps of recognizing information on a user and a predetermined exercise apparatus used by the user when the user uses the predetermined exercise apparatus, extracting exercise quantity of the user designated from an exercise program previously stored that corresponds with the recognized information on the user and the predetermined exercise apparatus and comparing the extracted exercise quantity of the user with the exercise quantity of the user measured and transmitted from the predetermined exercise apparatus during exercise and, if the exercise quantity of the user measured during the exercise is substantially smaller than that designated by the exercise program, outputting a control signal such that the electronic controller of the predetermined exercise apparatus operates in order to increase the user""s exercise quantity and if the exercise quantity of the user measured during the exercise is substantially larger than that designated by the exercise program, outputting another control signal such that the electronic controller of the predetermined exercise apparatus operates in order to decrease the user""s exercise quantity.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention is in detail described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers indicate the same or similar elements. In addition, while the present invention is described with reference to a few specific components, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. On the other hand, an explanation on the functions and methods that are well known to those skilled in the art will be excluded in this detailed description for the sake of brevity.